An instantly classic movie, at least for my generation, came out in 1993 and wow’ed viewers everywhere with the awesome CGI. This movie was Jurassic Park. I had read the book before seeing the film, so I knew there were parts missing from it that would surely be made into a sequel or two. But there were still some wonderful moments of the movie that I remember to this day. One of those moments has become one of my all-time favorite lines to quote. This is when John Hammond, Dr. Malcolm, Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, and others were sitting around a table eating dinner. Dr. Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, says of John Hammond’s park and the idea of cloning dinosaur embryos mixed with frog DNA:

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should…”

I have used this quote in so many situations and it always makes people stop and think. And I’ll say it here too, in the case of using social media for business – just because you can use social media, does that mean you should? Just because there are tools available for you to promote a job, or a brand, or a product or service, is that reason, and right, for you to be doing so?

When teams jump head-first into social media because all the rest of the world looks at it with googly-eyes, they are only thinking about the COULD. By holding back, listening, observing, doing due diligence and making sure everyone involved is equipped for success, they are then thinking more about the SHOULD. So consider these things:

Anyone CAN start a blog. But should YOU?

Anyone CAN set up a Facebook Fan page. But should YOUR company?

Anyone CAN tweet on behalf of their business. But are you ready to give up that much official control?

Anyone CAN decide to implement mobile marketing. But is your audience going to be receptive to it?

The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Practice some patience, do your homework, and find out if it’s right for you, your team, and your company first before pressing forward. Otherwise you run the risk of ruining your reputation or your brand image. Look before you leap!

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Excellent post today on Could vs. Should. I work with many clients who, the minute I arrive on site, start talking to me about how they need a social media strategy without even any idea of that that involves, and sadly, not much information about what it even is.

Anyway, I love it and I made reference to it on my blog today. You can read it here if you want but I pretty much just quote you up and give you props.

Amybeth, determining whether social media is right for you should include thinking in detail about what you want to accomplish. Will social media help you get it done? If so, which social networking or communications tools? Most important, though, is to know this — are the people you’re trying to communicate with using social media? Do they want to connect with you that way?

I just finished a project with a department at NKU to set up a Facebook and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nkuconnect). I can see facebook page being useful to keep in contact with people who need to know about classes, but they don’t produce enough content for twitter.

I like what someone says about keeping the end goal in mind. At the same time, we should all think about our audience.